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'Simpsons' actor says he'll no longer voice Apu after controversy

24 Comments
By MICHAEL NAGLE

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24 Comments
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I wonder if the people who are making the complaints were even alive when Apu made his debut.

Hank Azaria you are one of the all time greats. Thank you for the character over the years. Hopefully we will see a new character debut as a result.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

JeffLeeJan. 20 06:21 am JSTSo why hasn't Willy the Groundsman, the ginger-haired Scottish character with the crazy accent and kilt, been censored out. Hypocrites, much?

What about Ned Flanders the Christian fundie?

What about Lisa the over-intellectual who became vegetarian and listens to Enya?

What about Homer, the white suburban hubby who loves to drink beer and watch TV?

PC police have struck again!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

So why hasn't Willy the Groundsman, the ginger-haired Scottish character with the crazy accent and kilt, been censored out. Hypocrites, much?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Say it ain't so, Hank! You gave up too early! Should have just kept going with the character voicing, you know, stuck it out. If we let the PC schmucks win every time, all we will have left is squeaky clean things like knock knock jokes.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

so after 30 years and after becoming the nr one tv show on American tv and one of the most watched tv shows of all time ( globally speaking ), with Apu being one of the most popular characters, they suddenly decide it is offensive. way to go PC, this is becoming more and more ridiculous. all we can say is Thank You Hank Azaria, Good Job! ... and we still have Moe.

Every since Simpson’s went under that Mouse, they’ve started to lose their edge that corporation destroys everything that was once funny and good. I wonder what will happen with Family Guy now? Will they get rid of Joe or Cleveland or Consuela or even Mr. Herbert, I wonder which group will come out and say they’re offended by the stereotypes of these characters?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

PC nutters ruining it again for everyone.

Thankyou, come again !

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Sad to see him go - hilarious and a relatively harmless charicature, or so I thought.

Perhaps it was time for him to go. Those most angry about this tend to be quite deeply conservative white right wingers, who regularly seek to impose an authoritarian view on others and regularly display sociopathic tendencies, so perhaps the signs are there.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

so after 30 years and after becoming the nr one tv show on American tv and one of the most watched tv shows of all time ( globally speaking ), with Apu being one of the most popular characters, they suddenly decide it is offensive. way to go PC, this is becoming more and more ridiculous. all we can say is Thank You Hank Azaria, Good Job! ... and we still have Moe.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Haven't watched much Simpsons but Azaria was hilarious in Ray Donovan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Much apu about nothing.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Apu is how many Indians with a heavy accent talk like. It's funny and nothing to be ashamed of. 

I watched YouTube video where Indians find British and American English funny. They said they were worried about being covered with spit.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Will Groundskeeper Willie be starting a #MeTae movement?

O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us

To see oursels as ithers see us!

(Robert Burns)

4 ( +4 / -0 )

gather at the fireplace, talk and look at each other

but then at some point, someone will talk about their encounter with an outsider and mimic their strange accent, and repeat all over again.

white guy then there would have been cries of "whitewashing" by the woke police.

yah, can't do anything either way. this PCism is getting out of hand. if you're 'offended,' change channels.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Apu was one of my favorite characters on the show and Azaria is hilarious. It doesn’t make sense. The Simpsons was built on stereotypes. I work in IT and a lot of my colleagues are from India. They love the character. It seems to be second generation Indians in America that seem to dislike Apu... like they want to distance themselves from their culture and act as American as possible. Really a shame because every other character in the Simpsons is also a stereotype. People need to get a life and stop being so sensitive. Thank you PC for ruining a guilty pleasure for me. Because the Apu centered episodes were some of the best and sometimes after a long day I would like to wind down and stream an episode or two. What has the world come to?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

I bet Apu is spoofed in SouthPark.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Absolutely ridiculous! The PC police strike once again, just stop making movies and TV programs altogether, that way no one needs to be offended anymore, just do what our ancestors did a hundred years ago, gather at the fireplace, talk and look at each other, then no one needs to be offended, problem solved!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Apu is how many Indians with a heavy accent talk like. It's funny and nothing to be ashamed of.

Foreign accents can be funny and cute regardless of what nationality or in what country.

Watching Americans speaking Japanese with a heavy American accent cracks me up.

Have we all lost our ability to laugh at ourselves?

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Apu is a stereotype character. That's the point and what makes that character so funny. A real person from India wouldn't be able to pull off all those stereotype comments.

Stereotypes are commonly used on TV. "You might be a red neck if ..... " is funny too. Or the Puerto Rican from NYC or the save-the-planet vegan from California. Or to cattle rancher from Texas ... all stereotypes. Or the bad female asian driver from ... er .... anywhere.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

While people are now freaking out about another 'SARS' like virus making the rounds, what we really should be worried about is the debilitating world-wide epidemic of Thinskinism. In some parts of the world it has lead to reduced output in the workforce, fewer choices in general of what can be done with spare time and an overall reduction in what was once an enjoyable part of life... having a laugh.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

It won't be long before the networks will be too scared to re-air any episode with Apu in it.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

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